Innovation rate and population structure moderate the effect of population size on cumulative technological culture

This paper presents a computational model investigating the impact of population size, innovation rate, and population structure on cumulative technological culture (CTC). The model, an extension of a previous micro-society model, reveals a non-linear relationship between population size and CTC, with diminishing returns in larger populations. Innovation rate significantly moderates this relationship, reducing the impact of population size when innovations are frequent. The study also finds that reliance on others for innovation increases with population growth and later evolutionary stages. These results suggest that factors beyond population size, such as innovation rate, are crucial in explaining archeological records of CTC.

Alexandre Bluet, François Osiurak, Emanuelle Reynaud